Like Wind Through My Heart!
by RPG Girl
Summary: Nancy Drew arrives at Shadow Ranch in Arizona, to find that her friends and the owners of the ranch are nowhere to be found. Left alone with the three ranch hands, including the very cute Dave Gregory, she discovers a strange mystery surrounding a phantom horse and an old love story with a hidden treasure. Nancy soon finds herself in her own love story!
1. Chapter 1

**_Dear Hannah,_**

**_Well, I made it to Shadow Ranch but I'm afraid all is not well. The Rawleys, the people who own the ranch, have been called away on some kind of emergency._**

**_ They had Dave Gregory (He's their foreman) pick me up at the airport._**

**_ He gave me a phone number, told me to call the Rawleys at that number as soon as I get settled in, and refused to tell me anything else. _**

**_In fact, he barely said two words to me the whole ride to the ranch!_**

**_What's worse, Bess and George aren't here yet!_**

**_Which is very strange, because even though we had to take different flights, we figured we'd get into Phoenix at about the same time. _**

**_Being here without them feels odd; after all, the Rawleys are their aunt and uncle, not mine!_**

**_I wouldn't even be here if Bess and George hadn't begged them to invite me out to the ranch for two weeks, too._**

**_Until about three months ago, the Rawleys owned a clothing store. _**

**_Bess said it was always their dream to sell the store and buy a cattle ranch._**

**_I hope they're okay, but frankly, as beautiful as Shadow Ranch is,_**

**_I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this place!_**

**_Love, _**

**_Nancy_**

_**Hannah Gruen had finished reading the small letter that had been written to her by Nancy Drew.**_

_**Nancy, being somewhat of a daughter to her, was the only daughter of her employer, Carson, a single man who made a living as a lawyer.**_

_**Nancy's mother had died when she was very young and Hannah had been with them since then.**_

_**Sighing heavily, Hannah folded the letter and placed it into a small filing folder which contained several letters from Nancy's previous cases.**_

**"_I really hope she's okay!" Hannah says worriedly,"I hope there will be no cases to solve and that she'll enjoy herself!"_**

**_She walks back into the kitchen to continue scrubbing the pots from last night's meal of lamb and beef stew._**

**_Nancy Drew was a self-proclaimed amateur detective._**

**_She had gotten into all sorts of trouble in her past, coming close to death several times._**

**_Her cases had her travelling the world, meeting famous people, and learning all sorts of new things._**

**_She had recently returned from a trip to Snake Horse Harbor on Deception Island._**

**_A man had been using a trained Army whale to smuggle illegal furs in and out of the island._**

**_The whale had caused a big ruckus which made things hard for Nancy._**

**_Through treading dangerous waters, sneaking aboard a ship full of horrible men, and trusting someone whom was untrustworthy, she overcame the case!_**

**_When Nancy returned home, Hannah was thankful for her arrival, hoping that Nancy would leave her case cracking days behind her._**

**_So, when Nancy's friends, Bess and George, whom are cousins unrelated to Nancy, invited her to come with them to a ranch, she was overjoyed!_**

**_She had hoped that this would distract Nancy from cases and would give her something else to do in life._**

**_A knock at the front door bought her out of her thoughts._**

**_"Coming!" She shouts as she walks quickly to the door._**

**_Opening it, she finds a young man in his late teens leaning against the railing._**

**_"Hey, there, Hannah! Is Nancy here?" he asks her._**

**_"I'm afraid she's not, Ned." Hannah says with a smirk,"She's gone off to hang with the girls in Arizona on a trip, NOT solving cases!"_**

**_Ned smile at her and scratches his head,"Okay! Well, if you talk to her, would you let her know I came around?"  
_**

**_"Of course!" Hannah says with a smile as she shuts the door and Ned heads down the steps._**

**_Ned Nickerson was Nancy's sort-of boyfriend. They had gone on dates before, kissed, and even made it known they were dating._**

**_But, due to Nancy's jet setting and way of living, they rarely had a chance to be together._**

**_This always upset Hannah._**

**_She thought Ned was a wonderful young man and would give anything for Nancy to have a normal life._**

**_What was best for Nancy, in her opinion, was to finish high school and then settle down with Ned._**

**_But that life never interested Nancy and she always shrugged Hannah off with a hug and a kind let down._**

**_"I love you, Hannah, as if you were my own mother!" Nancy would say,"But, solving cases is in my blood.. in my soul!"_**

**_Hannah would always get upset and do extra cleaning around the house after every little confrontation._**

**_Thinking of the last few words from Nancy's letter, Hannah sighs._**

**_"It sounds like she's already found a mystery. Can't that girl just live life like a normal teenager?!"_**

**_Clenching her handkerchief in her hands, she begins to quickly dust off the furniture, trying to get Nancy's possible new case out of her mind._**

* * *

**Nancy Drew found herself standing inside of a small but quaint dusty room.**

**Beside her lay a floral print hide-a-bed couch.**

**Opposite the bed stood a small wooden bunk bed with a chest at the end of it.**

**Bright rays of sunlight shone in through the small window between the two beds, illuminating the dust particles in the air.**

**Nancy stood there unpacking her pink suitcase upon the hide-a-bed.**

**"_I really hope Bess and George arrive here, soon!" _Nancy thinks to herself as she folds up the last of her extra clothing.  
**

**Inside of her suitcase lies a small scrapbook, a variety of "detective's tools" and some 'Koko Kringles' candy bars. **

**The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, pictures, postcards, and other strange mementos from her previous cases.**

**Her detective's tools can be found tucked away inside of a small; brown leather pouch.**

**Everything you could possibly need to solve a case can be found in this pouch: a magnifying glass, lock picks, rope, a pen, a pencil, a spiral mini notebook, matches, and other such necessities.**

**Nancy attaches the small pouch to her belt, letting it dangle beside her left hip.**

**She places her clothing inside of the small chest at the foot of the bunk bed, then slips her suitcase underneath of the bunk bed.**

**"I really hope Dave starts talking!" she says to herself,"I find it odd that, being the guest, no one will tell me why my host and hostess aren't here!"**

**Nancy pulls her phone out of the pouch and places it inside of her pocket.**

**Then, grabbing a hold of the door knob, she opens the door and heads out of the room.**

**Nancy finds herself in a small hallway.**

**The walls peach colored; pictures of horses and cows and family photos strewn all over.**

**Nancy spots a picture of a friendly looking brown haired woman and a grey haired man holding hands and standing in front of two horses.**

**With smiles upon their faces, they stand happily in front of the gates to Shadow Ranch.**

**"That must be the Rawleys" she says aloud.**

**"That it is, ma'am." comes the voice of Dave Gregory.**

**Nancy blushes a little and looks up to find Dave leaning against the wall at the end of the hallway.**

**"They must have been very happy after buying this ranch!" she says with a smile, heading towards him.**

**"Oh, they were!" Dave says with a smile,"I was the first hand they hired on after buying the place. They had what looked like stars in their eyes."**

**Nancy smiled at the thought of how happy they were.**

**"Hey, Dave, listen.. can you tell me exactly what happened with the Rawleys?" Nancy asks him.**

**"I'm afraid I can't do that." Dave says, his arms crossed across his chest,"Just give them a call, alright?"**

**Nancy sighs as she pulls her phone out of her pocket.**

**"If you need me, I'll be out at the chicken coop." He says,"See ya lata!"**

**Nancy watches him walk across the hallway, through the kitchen, and out the back door.**

**Nancy digs through her list of contacts, pulls up the Rawley's number and dials them.**

**A few rings later, Nancy is greeted by an extremely high pitch voice,"Hello?!"**

**"Hello? Mrs. Rawley? It's me, Nancy Drew."**

**"Nancy! Are ya'll at the ranch?!"**

**"Well... I am.. but, I'm a little concerned that you're not! Is everything alright?"**

**"Oh, everything's fine, dear! I mean, it is, now! 'Course, it wasn't last night!"**

**A scruffy sounding male voice cuts through Mrs. Rawley's voice.**

**"Everything woulda been fine if you hadn't made such a fuss, dear!"**

**"How could I not?! There was a rattlesnake in our room for Pete's Sake!"**

**"Rattlesnake?!" Nancy says, covering her mouth in shock.**

**"I told Ed to leave it alone and wait for one of the hands to get it. But, no! He started poking at it with one of my yardsticks and it leaped up and bit him!"**

**"Where?! How bad?!"**

**"In the bedroom, dear.. coulda sworn I mentioned it.."**

**Nancy stifles a giggle.**

**"Anyway, it bit him on the arm, just below the elbow. Swelled up somethin' fierce! But, fortunately, he's doin' much better today!"  
**

**"Oh, that's great!" Nancy says happily.**

**"The doctors think he'll be able to go home in a day or so!"**

**"I'm well enough to go home, now!"**

**"No, you're not, Ed!"**

**"Yes, I am!"**

**Nancy giggles a little.**

**"See, Nancy?! If I don't stay with him, I'm afraid he'll get up and walk right out of the hospital!"**

**"No I won't..."**

**"Would you rather I postpone my visit and head home? It doesn't feel right being here without you both."**

**"Good heavens, no, Nancy! I won't hear of it!"**

**Nancy smiles a little.**

**"Just go and get a horse from Tex, our head wrangler and go riding to your heart's content!"**

**"Horseback riding?! Cool!" Nancy says, excited.**

**"Shorty, our cook, is going to go ahead with the cook out, tonight, whether we are or aren't there!"**

**"Hey, don't forget about the envelope, Bet!"**

**"Envelope?" Nancy asks.**

**"Oh, yes! There's an envelope in our roll top desk. It's marked 'Mary'. Would you ride over and take it to Mary Yazzie's?"**

**"Of course- anything for my hosts!" Nancy says, kindly,"But, did you say I'd have to ride there?!"**

**"That's right! The way the roads are set up around there, you actually have to ride a horse to get to some places!"**

**"Wow- that's so cool!" Nancy says happily.**

**"But, the roll top desk is locked, so you'll have to get the key from Dave."**

**"Okay!"**

**"It seems like there was something else I wanted to tell you about, Nancy.. Oh dear, I must have forgotten.."**

**"Tell her about the Phantom Horse, Bet!"**

**"Phantom Horse?!" Nancy says excited.**

**"Yes, well, you see.." Bet begins but is cut off by the arrival of a doctor.**

**"Ready for those tests, Mr. Rawley?!"**

**"Like I need tests?! I'm as fine as I was before I got bit!"**

**"No you're not, Ed. Now, settle down!"**

**"What's this about a phantom horse?!" Nancy asks, highly interested.**

**"No cell phones allowed during tests!" comes the mean voice of the doctor.**

**"Hey, Nancy- I'm gonna have to let you go!"**

**"But, Mrs. Rawley-!"**

**"Just go have tons of fun! Forget about us and enjoy yourself!"**

**"But-!"**

**"And, please, be careful out there! Always wear a hat and take a canteen of water with you! It's gonna be a scorcher! Bye!"**

**"No! Wait-"**

**But the call was dropped before Nancy could finish talking.**

**"Phantom Horse?!" she says aloud, somewhat confused,"Well- looks like I have a mystery to solve!"**


	2. Chapter 2

Nancy begins to hum to herself as she walks down the hallway and into the den.

She looks around at the bookshelves, small roll top desk, stone fireplace, and beautiful oak dining set.

"What a quaint house!" She says with a smile.

She takes a seat upon the couch, and takes out her cell phone.

"I guess I should call Bess and George." she says, dialing their number,"They should have been here by now!"

After a few rings, someone picks up.

"Hello?!"

"Hi, George, I'm at the Ranch." Nancy says, happy to have reached them,"Where are you guys?!"

"Guess?" George says, a hint of anger in her voice.

"The airport in Phoenix?!" Nancy says, excited.

"We're at the airport, alright!" Bess shouts in the background.

"Oh, well that's good!" Nancy says, relieved.

"No, it's not." George says, annoyed,"We're at the airport in Omaha, Nebraska!"

"What?!" Nancy says, shocked.

"Yeah.. we had to land her to fix some problem with the radio and now they're saying we could be here for hours!" Bess shouts.

"Hours? You gotta be kidding me!" Nancy says, annoyed,"At least they didn't cancel the flight!"

"True.. but, who knows what's really going on here." George says,"They never tell you anything.."

"So, what's going on, there?!" Bess says, taking the phone from George.

"Not much.." Nancy says,"Well, Aunt Bet and Uncle Ed did find a rattlesnake in their room, last night!"

"Omigosh! Are they okay?!" Bess gasps.

"Actually, no.." Nancy says sadly,"Ed got bit. He's fine, now. But he's in the hospital and it may take him a day or two to recover."

Bess gasps as she hands the phone to George.

"Where is Aunt Bet?" George asks.

"She's staying with Ed until he recovers." Nancy explains,"And you know what's worse?"

"What?!" George asks, worry in her voice.

"Well, apparently a phantom horse showed up at the exact time the rattlesnake appeared." Nancy says, excited.

"A phantom horse?!" George says, passing the phone off to Bess.

"Of all the times to get stranded in an airport!" Bess growls,"You better keep us posted, Nancy Drew, that's all I gotta say!"

"Of course! I promise!" Nancy says with a smile.

"We're so bored, George bought a book on nineteenth century clothing!" Bess says, shocked.

"What?! No way!" Nancy says, laughing.

"Seriously- it was the only thing that looked even halfway interesting!" George says,"So if you need to know anything about nineteenth century clothing, I'm your gal!"

"You got it!" Nancy says.

"So, anything else been happening?" Bess asks, ripping the phone away from George,"What's the 411!? Enlighten me! I'm so bored.."

"Unfortunately, I haven't done much since I got here.." Nancy says,"Although there is a cute ranch hand here!"

"Did you say cute?! Ranch hand?!"Bess says excitedly,"What's his name?! Can I have his number?!"

"Easy Bess.. I just got here!" Nancy giggles, a slight blush upon her cheeks,"I can very well just ask him for his number!"

"Harsh, Nancy." Bess says, passing the phone off to George.

"Will you promise to keep us updated?!" George says,"We're gonna call Aunt Bet and see what's up!"

"Alright, will do!" Nancy says,"Talk to you later!"

"Watch out for weird people!" George says.

"Wish you were here!" Bess shouts from behind.

"...Kidding..." George says, annoyed, hanging up.

"I really hope they get here, soon!" she says, shoving the phone in her pocket.

A small book upon the table catches her eye and she picks it up.

"A City Slicker's Guide to Ranch Horses. Could come in handy.." she says, making a mental note and setting it back down.

She stretches then stands up,"Looks like it's time to start questioning people about that phantom horse!"

The floorboards creak under her feet as she makes her way towards the kitchen.

She spots a painting of a young woman in a shawl beside the entrance to the kitchen.

Coming in closer, she reads a small plaque below the painting,"Frances Humber. I wonder who she was?"

She is bought out of her thoughts by a squeaky voice from the kitchen.

"Who's that?!" squeaks the voice.

"Uh, my name is Nancy Drew.." she says, cautiously walking into the kitchen,"I'm one of the girls who came here to visit."

"Why, hello there, Nancy!" says a fat; bald headed man in a checked shirt and apron,"Come on over here and tell me about yourself!"

He holds out a flour covered hand and she carefully shakes it.

"I'm the cook, Shorty Thurmond." he says, wiping his hands on his apron,"Welcome to Shadow Ranch! Weren't there supposed to be three of you?"

"Yeah, but it'll be a while til they get here." Nancy says,"Their flight was delayed due to a malfunctioning radio."

"Awe, well, that's too bad! I hope they make it before night fall!" He says,"Anyway- you have talked to the Rawley's right?"

"Yeah! I still can't believe what happened!" Nancy says, shocked,"I also heard something about a phantom horse? What did you see last night?"

"Well, I was just about to crawl into bad last night, when all of a sudden this glowing horse comes galloping up outside!" Shorty says, animated.

Nancy nods her head as a sign she's listening.

"It stops. Rears and paws; snorting and whinnying! Then, it just reels around and goes galloping off into the night!" he says, his eyes wide open with shock.

"Wow! It was glowing?!" Nancy says, scratching her head.

"Yes. It was Dirk Valentine's horse, you know?!" Shorty says.

"Dirk Valentine?" Nancy asks, pulling out her notebook from her pouch.

"Dirk was an outlaw around these parts, back in the 1880s. Legend has it he was in love with Frances Humber. She lived right here on Shadow Ranch." Shorty says.

"Oh, wow! So this ranch is pretty old!" Nancy says, with a smile.

"The bad part was- her daddy was the sheriff!" Shorts adds, a frown upon his face.

"Ouch!" Nancy says.

"It was because of him that Dirk was captured and eventually hanged!" Shorty continues,"His horse roams the desert cursing whoever sees it with bad luck!"

"What a great story!" Nancy says excited.

"Story?!" Shorty says, annoyed,"All I know is, Ed sees the horse and gets bit by a rattlesnake two minutes later. You do the math!"

Taking the hint that she's starting to annoy him, Nancy decides to leave.

"Well, I better get going!" she says.

Shorty waves her off as she heads out the back door.

"I should go talk to Dave." she says, remembering the envelope in the locked desk,"I gotta get that key from him."

She looks over by the door at the thermometer.

"One hundred and four degrees?!" She says,"Wow! It's going to be a hot day!"

Shading her eyes, she steps off of the patio and walks into the center of the yard.

Looking around her, she spots a camp fire, a water shed, a chicken coop, and a stable.

"Dave said he'd by at the coop." she thinks out loud, walking towards the chicken coop.

The hot sun beats down upon her head as she makes her way.

"I should have bought a hat." she says, walking a little quicker.

She reaches the chicken coop and is greeted by tons of chicken clucks.

"Hello, there!" She says, dragging her fingers across the chicken fence.

She grips the wooden door handle to the chicken coop and steps in.

A small gasp escapes her mouth as she bumps into Dave, causing him to drop some eggs.

"Why, hello, there, Nancy!" he says with a smile, bending down to clean up the mess.

Nancy blushes a little as she pulls out a handkerchief from her pouch,"Let me help you!"

She bends down in front of him and begins to pick up pieces of shell.

"What's up, Nancy?" He says, picking up shells.

"I came to get he key to the roll top desk." She says, blushing some more.

Dave looks up at her and smiles,"I got it right here!"

He throws the egg shells through the fence of the chicken coop.

Nancy watches him, shocked.

"Don't worry- chickens can eat almost anything!" he says, standing up.

Nancy avoids eye contact as she stands up in front of him.

Dave reaches into the pocket of his vest and pulls pit a golden key.

"There ya go!" he says, placing it into her hand.

A tingle runs down her arm as his fingers lightly graze her palm.

They stand there for a few moments in silence.

Nancy's blush getting deeper.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Nancy?" he asks.

Nancy blushes a little.

"I take it you talked to the Rawleys?" He asks as he reaches across her and opens the door to the coop.

"Sure did!" Nancy says,"And I'm really worried about them!"

She follows him out of the coop and shuts the door.

"Ed will be okay!" Dave says with a smile,"Ed's a tough guy. Being bitten by a rattler is no picnic but he sounds outta the woods."

"Well, that's good!" Nancy sighs,"Bet said something about a phantom horse?"

"This glowing horse came galloping outta nowhere last night! Caused a big ruckus!" Dave explains.

"Strange.." Nancy says, rubbing her chin.

"We went running outside to look at it. It reared a coupla times, spun around and ran back the way it came." Dave says, scratching his head.

"Did any of you go looking for it?" Nancy asks curiously.

"Well, by the time the thought of looking for it came to us, it was gone!" Dave says,"And then, the whole thing with Ed happened.."

"Strange.." Nancy says, trying her best to avoid eye contact with Dave.

"You're going to be asking a lot of questions, aren't you?" he says, eyeing her.

"I'm sorry.. am I bugging you?!" Nancy says, nervously.

"Well, it's just- the Rawley's said you were a detective?" Dave says, suspiciously.

"Amateur Detective.. It's kinda a hobby.." Nancy laughs.

Dave smirks at her.

"I'm gonna be honest with ya, ma'am. We were short a coupla hands before..." he begins, shrugging.

Nancy begins to take the hint.

"And, now with the Rawley's gone and everyone on edge about last night- it's really not a good time to be visiting Shadow Ranch." he says, straight faced.

"Well, if you need any help, just let me know!" Nancy says, smiling,"I'll do whatever I can to do my part!"

Dave smiles at her, the sun lighting up his bright eyes,"Thanks, Nancy!"

"Do you have any idea how that snake got into their room?" Nancy asks him, trying not to sound suspicious.

"It probably crawled in through a mouse hole." Dave shrugs,"Probably took a nap there and came out at night- they're most active at night."

"Something the Rawleys found out the hard way!" Nancy says, stretching.

"Well, I'm going to get going. Sorry to have bothered you, Dave!" she says.

"You're not a bother at all, Nancy!" Dave says, smiling at her,"In fact, I'm kinda glad you're here.."

Nancy blushes bright red and quickly walks away from him.

The sun climbing higher into the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

Nancy makes her way back towards the house.

Her face burning not from the sun but from her previous encounter with Dave.

"_I shouldn't be getting so shy around him.."__  
_

_"He could very well be the number one suspect!"_

_"Bad Nancy!"_

Nancy reaches the back patio and grips the handle to the door.

Opening the door, she is greeted by Shorty's humming.

Sneaking in quietly, she shuts the door behind her and heads through the kitchen.

She walks through the living room towards the roll top desk.

Reaching into her small pouch, she digs around for the key Dave gave her.

Her fingers grab it and she pulls it out; placing it into the keyhole and turning it.

A small click sounds as she pushes up the desk top.

Being the snoop that she is, Nancy decides to ignore the letter to Mary and look around the desk instead.

She spots a strange set of square pegs and makes a mental note of them,"Not every day you see things like these!"

Upon a book, she finds a folded up bill for Mary.

"So, Mary bought a trunk of "junk" from the Rawleys.." she says, studying it,"For eighty five dollars, it couldn't have just been junk!"

Setting it down, she reaches for a scribbled letter in the middle of the desk.

* * *

_To Ed and Bet Rawley,_

_Just because you fired me, don't make ANOTHER mistake and think you've heard the last of me, because you haven't!_

_We all know that I deserved a second chance. _

_Letting me go without giving me one was just plain WRONG._

_In fact, know what your problem is?_

_You don't believe in justice!_

_But see, I do. _

_That's the way my brother and I were raised._

_Justice always prevails although sometimes it needs a little help._

_You'll See,_

_Jane Nash_

* * *

"This Jane woman definitely has a grudge against the Rawleys." Nancy says, making a mental note,"Definitely gonna have to find out more about her."

She sets down the letter and takes the envelope marked 'Mary'.

"Well, time to go riding, I guess!" she sighs, heading through the living room and back towards the kitchen.

"Is that you, nancy?!" comes Shorty's voice as she approaches the kitchen.

"Yes, Shorty, it's me." she says, rolling her eyes.

"Did I hear you say you're going to go riding?" he says, turning from the oven to face her.

"Well, yeah.. The Rawley's need me to deliver this letter to Mary." she explains, holding up the letter.

Shorty puts a hand on his hip and frowns,"Well, seeing as there are so few of us, you're going to have to do chores before you can go out."

Nancy sighs, annoyed she crosses her arms across her chest,"And what would you have me do, Shorty?"

"Well, for starters, you need to first learn how to ride from Tex before you can go trotting around on a horse." he says, pointing towards the back door.

"Got it!" Nancy says,"Anything else?"

"Well, before you go having some fun with riding, I need you to go pick me only ripe vegetables from the garden." He says, both hands on his hips,"_Only_ ripe.."

Nancy nods her head,"Alright- anything else?"

"I'll also need you to go out to the chicken coop and get us some eggs." he says, walking over to a cabinet and grabbing out a wooden basket.

He sets it upon the table, then looks up at her,"Careful- it's kinda old. The vegetable basket can be found hanging by the back door."

"Okay! I'll get right on it!" Nancy says, reaching for the basket.

Shorty places his hand upon hers, refusing to let her take the basket,"And, Nancy, do be careful out in the desert."

Nancy stares at him oddly,"Uh.. okay.. I will, Shorty.. thanks for the concern."

She grabs the basket quickly and heads out the back door.

Shutting the door quickly, she sighs,"That Shorty is very strange.."

Turning towards the wall beside the door, she grabs the vegetable basket off of its hook.

"Well, here goes nothing!" she says, heading towards the vegetable garden.

She steps into the middle of the vines and is taken aback by the multitude of veggies.

"How am I supposed to know if they're ripe or not?!" she says, rubbing her chin.

Her eyes light up a few minutes later as she remembers her phone.

"Oh yeah! I'll just search the internet!" she says, starting up her phone browser.

Searching through the different articles, she discovers the different types of beans and tomatoes.

She does her best to pick the ripe ones, carefully plucking them from their vines.

"These Northern Lights are so pretty when ripe!" she says, placing a multi-colored red and orange tomato into the basket.

Plucking the remaining ripe Black Turtle pods off of a vine, she stands up and dusts herself off.

"I think that's done!" she says, shading her eyes from the hot sun,"I should get these inside quickly- it's so hot!"

She walks quickly back to the house and heads through the back door.

"I bought those veggies you wanted!" she says, setting them down upon the table.

Shorty looks them over, touching and feeling and gripping each one in his hands.

"Other than a few over-ripe ones, you did good, Nancy!" he says with a smile,"Now go get those eggs!"

Nancy rolls her eyes and heads right back from where she came.

She shrieks a little as she walks right into Dave, again.

"Well, hello again!" he says with a smile, pushing past her into the kitchen.

"Hi..." she says nervously, rushing through the door.

Her face turns bright red as she rushes towards the chicken coop, afraid to look back.

She reaches the chicken coop and quickly heads inside.

"I really have to stop running into him like that!" she says nervously, reaching underneath a black chicken for some eggs.

She finds a small brown one and places it into the basket.

As she moves on to a brown chicken, a crackling sound rings through the air.

Next thing she knows, her little brown egg is rolling out of the broken side of the basket; smashing onto the ground.

"Oh, no..." she says, sadly, reaching down to clean up the mess,"I should have heeded his warning.."

She heads out of the coop and back towards the house to find a needle and thread.

Walking through the door, she nervously looks around for Dave, trying not to make eye contact with him or Shorty.

Dave is nowhere to be found.

Sighing with relief, she heads into the living room.

Her face begins to burn as she spots Dave scrubbing the ash out of the fireplace.

She stands there watching him for a few.

As he starts to stand up and brush himself off, she nervously runs out of the living room and into the hallway.

"_Why am I acting like this?!" __  
_

_"I kind of already have a boyfriend.."_

_" But, he's just so cute.."_

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she quickly heads into her room.

"I should have a needle and some thread around here somewhere.." she says, grabbing her suitcase out from under the bed.

She opens it up upon the floor and digs around a little.

A small spool of blue thread and some needles can be found underneath a few newspaper clippings.

She grabs them and begins to thread the needle.

Humming to herself, she slowly puts together all ten of the broken basket patches.

After a few minutes, she finishes the basket with a few simple gopher stitches.

"All done!" she says, standing up and kicking her suitcase back under the bed.

Basket in hand, she opens her bedroom door and is surprised to find Dave standing there.

"Would you do me a favor, Nancy?" he says, smiling at her.

She blushes a little and nods her head 'yes'.

"We're going to have a campfire dinner, tonight, but unfortunately none of us have the time to build the fire." he says, leaning against the door frame.

"And, you'd like me to do it for you?" she says, blushing.

Dave winks at her,"I'd be forever grateful, Ma'am."

Nancy smiles brightly,"Of course I'll do it!"

He nods at her, winking again, then heads down the hallway.

Nancy nervously shuts the door behind her and follows him to the kitchen.

A silly advertisement for cow food reaches her ears as she makes her way into the kitchen.

"Do me a favor and turn that off, will you Nancy?" Shorty says, chopping some cilantro.

Nancy reaches over to the small shelf by the kitchen and flicks the power switch on the red radio.

"...Which reminds me... gonna have to buy some cow food..." Shorty says to himself.

Nancy snickers a little as she heads out the back door and back towards the coop.

She grips the door and heads into the coop.

"Now, let's do this again!" she says, reaching under a brown chicken and collecting two eggs.

Two more eggs are found under a red chicken and another under the same black chicken from before.

She goes to grab an egg from underneath of a huge white chicken and shrieks as it jumps at her, pecking.

"Ouch! Get off of me!" she yells, swatting at it as it pecks at her arms.

She rushes out the coop door, slamming the door behind her.

"What was that chickens' problem?!" she says, looking into her basket to ensure the eggs are still there.

She readies herself and slowly opens the door.

A small sigh of relief escapes her mouth as she spots the white chicken ten spaces from where it had been.

She quickly reaches inside the space, grabs the eggs, and slams the door shut.

"I'm so not going near that chicken again!" she says, quickly walking back towards the house.

The sun shines brightly down upon her, making her sweat as she reaches the back patio.

"My antiperspirant is going to get a good work out these next few days!" she laughs, heading inside.

"Got those eggs, Nancy?" Shorty says as she approaches him.

"Right here!" Nancy says, satisfied, putting the basket onto the table,"I even fixed your basket for you!"

Shorty scans the eggs and feels each one.

"Good job, Nancy!" he says, carrying the eggs and placing them into the refrigerator,"These are perfect!"

"Do you guys need that fire done now or could I go learning to ride and then do it later?" she asks him, heading back to the back door.

"Whether the Rawley's and your friends are here- we're having that dinner!" Shorty says, stomping his foot,"Sorry, Nancy, but it needs to be done!"

Nancy rolls her eyes and sighs,"Alright, fine..."

And she heads out the back door.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Apologies to all my fellow readers, followers, and reviewers whom I've disappointed by taking so long to write this chapter! Having been done with school for 2 years, I'm constantly working as well as dealing with medical problems so I apologize and will try my best to ensure that my story is updated more often!_**

**_-Liz_**

* * *

**"Argh! Just when I thought I would finally get to have some fun!" Nancy growls, shutting the back door behind her.**

**She heads to her right where she finds a brick surface surrounded by firewood logs and a small ax lying upon the ground.**

**"It's so hot out!" she groans, grabbing the ax off the ground,"This is really going to be annoying!"**

**Setting a small log upon the surface, she positions herself to the left of it and swings the ax, chopping it down the middle perfectly.**

**She sets the log pieces beside her and grabs a bigger log, placing it upon the surface.**

**Swinging the ax, she just barely misses it, grazing the side of it and sticking the ax into the chopping block.**

**Wiping the sweat off of her brow, she aims again and cuts the log in half.**

**"That fire pit is so small.." she says, turning around to look at it,"Cutting one more log should be good enough!"**

**She grabs a log a little smaller than the previous one and sets it upon the chopping block.**

**Swinging the sword fast, she misses and shrieks as the ax hits the log from behind, throwing it at her.**

**She jumps out of the way of the log, dropping the ax.**

**The back door opens and Dave sticks his head out,"You okay?"**

**Nancy blushes a little and nods her head 'yes' at him.**

**Dave smiles at her,"I see you're finishing up those logs. Good job, Nancy!"**

**She blushes as he closes the door.**

**"_He's so cute!"_**

**Grabbing the ax, she quickly replaces the log on the chopping block and slices it in half.**

**"All done!" she says, setting the ax down.**

**She gathers the log pieces up and carries them over to the fire pit.**

**Setting them upon the ground, she wipes her brow again.**

**"Now I just need some newspaper shreds and some kindling." she says, looking around the ground.**

**She finds some kindling beside the water shed, then remembers the water bucket just in case of emergencies.**

**Heading back to the pit, she sets the kindling down and picks up the bucket.**

**Then, she goes back to the shed and opens the doors.**

**"So this is basically their storage room, huh?" she says, looking around and heading down the stairs,"May come in handy in the future!"**

**She sets the bucket into the sink and turns on the faucet, filling it to the fill line.**

**"And, there ya go!" she says, turning off the water and taking the bucket out of the sink.**

**Walking up the stairs, she pushes open the door and walks to the pit, setting the bucket beside it.**

**"Now, for some more kindling." she says, walking around the area.**

**She finds some kindling in the garden, beside the coop, and by the house.**

**"That should definitely be enough!" she says, throwing her armful of sticks beside the pit,"Now we just need some newspaper."**

**She walks back to the patio and pushes open the back door slowly just in case Dave happens to appear there.**

**Sadly he's nowhere to be found, which Nancy frowns at.**

**Closing the door behind her, she tiptoes through the kitchen so as not to have to talk to Shorty and into the living room.**

**Spotting the newspaper basket laying in front of the fireplace, she heads that direction.**

**She makes her way around the coffee table and kneels down in front of the basket.**

**The headline of the first newspaper make her laugh a little.**

**"Paint Dries In Record Time Due To Record Heat..." she laughs, crumpling it up,"They really must not have a lot to do around here!"**

**The next headline interests her and she reads it a little.**

**"Denver Bank Robbers Spotted At Local Gas Station." she reads aloud, making a mental note, and bringing it closer to her face to read.**

**"Clerk's description of clothing, car, green tinted sunglasses matches that of witness to hundred thousand dollar heist.." she says, very interested.**

**Then crumples the newspaper and puts it into her pocket,"I'll have to keep an eye out. Could they be responsible for the troubles here?"  
**

**She then stands up and heads back towards the kitchen, tiptoeing again.**

**Trying not to make any noise, she slowly opens the back door and slips out, shutting it behind her.**

**Sighing with relief, she makes her way towards the pit and sits upon the ground beside it.**

**"Time to make a fire!" she says, grabbing the newspapers out of her pocket.**

**Clearing out the pit of unwanted debris and tumbleweeds, she spots a strange piece of paper and pulls it out of the ashes.**

**Strange letters that are backwards mixed with symbols such as a 'B' in a circle, A triangle, a V, and an upside down spear appear jumbled on the paper.**

**"I wonder who wrote this." Nancy says placing it into her pouch carefully,"And I wonder if it's important since they tried to burn it!"**

**Ignoring the paper, she places the newspapers into the middle of the pit.**

**She makes a cute little pyramid of sticks then layers the logs on top.**

**"All done!" she says, standing up and dusting herself off,"Now I can go horse riding!"**

**She quickly rushes to the back door and opens it, shouting,"Fire's done!"**

**Then she runs out and heads towards the stables; the sun high in the sky.**

**While the stables are a simple shade of grey made of plain wooden planks, Nancy couldn't help but get excited as she reaches the stable gate.**

**She excitedly pulls the gate open and walks in.**

**Whinnying to her left greets her as she steps in and closes the gate behind her.**

**She turns towards the sound and a big smile spreads across her face as she notices three cute horses.**

**Their colors being Dark Brown, White, and Tan; they busily bury their noses inside of their food buckets.**

**Making her way towards the dark brown horse, she coos at him,"Well, Hello There! You got some friends back there?!"**

**She pets the brown brown horse named 'Bob', and heads around him to see the other two.**

**Petting the white and tan horses she giggles, then heads inside the main building of the stables.**

**A wall full of saddles and posters greets her.**

**She turns to her left and finds a man wearing all blue coupled with a red banana and black cowboy hat, fixing a saddle.**

**"So, which one are you?" he growls as he tinkers with a saddle, not even looking at her.**

**Nancy's eyes widen in shock,"Excuse me?"**

**"The Rawley's said they'd be inviting some young ladies out here." he growls, setting down his screwdriver,"I take it you're one of them?"  
**

**"Yes, I am!" Nancy says, holding out her hand only to have it be declined by him,"My name is Nancy Drew. My friends aren't here yet."**

**The man frowns,'And, Why not?"**

**"Their flight has been delayed." Nancy explains, putting her hand down,"Something about bad weather and a malfunctioning radio. They should be here soon."**

**He grunts, then turns back to his saddle and begins working again.**

**"I bought three horses in this morning..." he grunts, twisting his screw driver,"Hardly fair to keep 'em tied up all day if no one's going to ride 'em!"**

**"And, you are?" she says, eyeing him.**

**"I'm the head wrangler. Tex is the name.." he says, annoyed,"You wanna ride? You come to me."**

**"Well, that's actually why I was here." she says excitedly,"I would love to go horseback riding."**

**"If you can prove you know what you're doin', I just may let you." he grunts, setting his tool back down again,"However, you need to do chores before you go."**

**"Actually, I've kind of already done that!" she says with a smile.**

**Tex twirls his finger in the air,"Well, good for you."**

**"Did you see the phantom horse last night?" she asks him curiously.**

**"I saw something. Just what- I'm not sure." he grunts,"Now, do you want to ride or what?"**

**Nancy nods her head 'yes' happily.**

**"First thing you gotta do is never ride unless you have a hat 'n gloves and a full canteen of water." He explains.**

**"Got it!" Nancy says with a smile.**

**"You can use that hat over there- it's Mrs. Rawley's. Got a helmet built right in it." he continues,"You can also use her gloves and saddle over there."**

**Nancy nods her head in response.**

**"As for the canteen- you can get that from Shorty." he says with a straight face,"Then you're gonna saddle and bridle your horse, Bob."**

**"Do I need to groom him?" Nancy asks him curiously.**

**"No. I do that before I bring them in."He grunts,"You're gonna lead him to the mounting block after that and mount up."**

**"Is that it?!" Nancy asks excitedly.**

**"No. I'm gonna ask you some questions. Ya can't ride outside the corral until you answer all the questions correct." he grunts, eyeing her.**

**"Right..." Nancy says, remembering the book from the living room.**

**Tex shrugs her off and starts working on his saddle again.**

**"Welp, Nancy, let's get to researching!" she says as she heads out of the door and back into the horse's area.**

**"Researching, huh?" comes the voice of Dave as he makes his way through the gate of the stables.**

**Nancy's face blushes bright red as she avoids his eyes,"Yeah! Gotta research the answers to Tex's questions so I can go horseback riding!"**

**Dave smiles at her,"You seem excited! Just promise me you'll be careful out there, Nancy! There's no telling what could happen to you!"**

**Nancy's heart beats in her chest as she quickly nods her head 'yes' at him.**

**He places a hand upon her shoulder, tilts his hat at her, and then heads into the stable to speak with Tex.**

**She stands there and nervously stares at the spot where Dave stood.**

_**"Calm down, Nancy!"**_

_**"He could be the enemy.."**_

_**"Try not to get too into him, okay?!"**_

**At that, she heads out of the stables and towards the house to begin her research and to get a canteen.**


	5. Chapter 5

My deepest apologies to all of my readers, followers, and reviewers! I am very happy to see how many fans of Nancy there are, out there and how many of you have read my story! I'm sorry I've not written a lot! Work.. gotta love being an adult!

As a BIG thank you to all of you, I will be posting two chapters within this week! :)

-LIZ

* * *

Nancy took a seat on the living room sofa and curled her legs up to her chest; reading all the books she could find about horses.

"A Horse that is fifteen hands is five feet..."

"A Paso Fino is a Gaited Horse..."

After a half hour of researching, Nancy placed the books upon the coffee table and stood up.

"Well, let's give it a go!" she says, stretching.

Whistling a small tune, she walks out of the back door.

A heat wave hits her and she fans herself off.

"It's gonna take a while to get used to this heat!" she says, tilting her hat over her head and heading in the direction of the stables.

Looking up at the sky, Nancy shades her eyes, praying for some clouds.

A small breeze blows the dirt around her feet as she walks.

She reaches the stables and pulls open the gate; horse neighs greeting her.

"Hello, again, Bob!" she says with a smile, closing the gate behind her.

The voices of Tex and Dave ring through the Stable office door.

Quietly, Nancy presses her ear to the door to eavesdrop.

"..You're coming to this dinner whether you like it or not!" Dave yells.

"...I'm busy. Leave me alone." Tex grumbles.

"What could you possibly be busy doing at night time?!" Dave growls.

"None of your business." Tex says meanly.

Taking the hint, Nancy quickly rushes away from the door and begins casually petting Bob.

The door slams open and bangs against the stable gate.

Dave growls a little and shuts the door behind him.

His face turns into a big smile when he notices Nancy.

"Well, hello, Nancy!" he says with a slight blush,"Sorry if you overheard that!"

Pretending to have heard nothing Nancy smiles back,"What are you talking about?"

Dave blushes a little more and runs his hand through his hair,"Uh, Pardon me, Nancy.

"You don't have to leave.." Nancy says, her face blushing bright red,"You could stay and root me on! I could use your support!"

A big smile flashes across Dave's face.

"I.. er... I gotta go help Shorty make dinner!" He says, nervously.

At that, he quickly rushes out of the stable gate.

Nancy blushes a little as she pets Bob.

"_He's been getting.. nervous.. around me! Could he possibly like me, too?!"_

Shaking the thoughts away, Nancy opens the door to the stables office.

"What do you want?" Tex grumbles.

Nervously, Nancy clears her throat and talks,"I've come to test so I can ride a horse."

Tex glares at her, then sighs,"Alright, Nancy.. let's get this over with."

Nancy frowns a little as he follows her over to the saddles.

"If you think you knows your stuff and are ready, then Ole' Bob is yours." Tex sighs, handing her a saddle,"Saddle him up and meet me outside."

He pushes past her exiting the office and shutting the door behind him.

"What's his problem?" Nancy says under her breath.

She pushes the door open the best that she can and heads over to Bob.

"Ready ole Bob?!" she says with a smile as she swings the saddle over his back.

Tightening the straps and ensuring it's on correctly, Nancy guides Bob into the Corral.

"Come on, Ole Bob!" she says happily, opening the corral gate and leading Bob through it.

She leads him into the middle of the Corral, then carefully jumps up onto his back.

Tex leans against a nearby fence and puts his bandanna over his mouth.

"Well, Nancy, let's see what you've got." he says,"Begin riding Bob around in circles.. I'll ask you some questions and see what you know."

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" Nancy says, lightly kicking Bob.

Bob revs up and begins running in small circles.

"Alright, Nancy, here we go!" Tex shouts over Bob's hoof beats.

"How tall is a horse that's fifteen hands?!"

"Five Feet?" Nancy says, turning Bob around.

"That's one outta ten! You've got a ways to go!" Tex shouts,"What kind of a horse is a Paso Fino?!"

"I know this one! A Gaited Horse!" Nancy shouts.

"Two outta ten!" Tex shouts,"How can you tell if a horse is colicking?!"

"It keeps lying down, then standing up!" Nancy shouts as Bob runs around.

"Three down!" Tex barks,"What is the difference between a Bay and a Chestnut?!"

"A Bay Has black points?!" Nancy shouts.

"Bingo!" Tex yells,"What tribe bred the first Appaloosas?"

"The Nez Perce!" Nancy says with a smile.

"That's five! You're halfway there!" Tex yells,"What part of a horse is most likely to get hurt when it founders?!"

"Its feet!" Nancy says happily.

"Yep! Six Down!" Tex shouts,"What part of a saddle should you always check before you head out?!"

"The cinch?!" Nancy says, thinking out loud.

"Seven down! You're in the homestretch!" Tex barks,"What is a mule?!"

"The offspring of a... female horse and a male donkey?!" Nancy says, guessing.

"Eight right! Two to go!" Tex yells,"Where is a horse's hocks?!"

"On its back legs?" Nancy says.

"This is your last question, Nancy!" Tex growls,"Get it right!"

"I'm ready!" Nancy shouts, nervously.

"Where is a horse's frog?!" Tex shouts.

"On the bottom of its hooves?!" Nancy guesses.

"Well.. you answered the questions right.. and I can tell you're not gonna go falling for no good reason.." Tex says, his arms crossed.

"So, that means I can go riding, then?!" Nancy says happily.

"Yes. Yer free to go ridin' outside the corral!" Tex says, sighing,"Just don't go ridin' Bob all over the place!"

"I promise I won't!" Nancy says, holding out her pinky.

"I'm serious, girl. If you bring him back all hot 'n sweaty, you can kiss your cowgirl days goodbye!" Tex barks, then exits the corral.

"Why's he so mean?" Nancy says, watching him leave.

Shrugging, she leads Bob towards the exit out of the corral.

"Ready to go?!" she says happily.

With a kick of the sides, she leads him out of the corral.

* * *

The sun shines brightly overhead as Bob gallops through the dusty desert.

A small roadrunner runs across the road.

Tumbleweeds blow in the breeze across the ground.

A few minutes later, they come upon a less dusty and bushy area.

"We should be getting to Mary's place, soon!" Nancy says, looking around.

* * *

They come upon a small wooden shack surrounded by beautiful mountains.

"We made it, Bob!" she says, happily.

Hopping off of Bob, she leads him to the grounding fence.

"I'll only be gone a few minutes, boy!" she says, patting him on the back.

Then, taking the letter out of her pouch, she heads towards the front door.

She pushes open the front door and is greeted by beautiful Native American decor.

"Hi, there!" comes a friendly voice to her left.

Nancy turns to find a pretty; well tanned woman sitting behind the counter.

"Can I help you?" the woman says with a slight smirk.

"Hi! I'm Nancy Drew!" Nancy says, waving,"I came from Shadow Ranch."

"Oh, Shadow Ranch. I heard what happened last night! Tough break for the Rawley's. They've been having a rough start at the Ranch!" the woman says.

"So, you know the Rawley's?" Nancy says, curious.

"Yeah, we've talked a few times! Their property ends where the back of this store is." The woman explains.

"I'm looking for Mary. Do you know where I can find her?" Nancy asks, looking around the store.

"Well, you're looking at her!" the woman says with a smirk.

Nancy blushes a little,"I'm sorry! Silly me! Anyways, I have something for you!"

Nancy hands her the envelope.

"Great! I want to buy a small piece of property from them! This must be their response.." Mary says, slicing open the letter.

Mary scans over the letter from the envelope.

Her face goes from straight to a slight frown.

With a flick of her wrist, she throws the letter into the trash.

"Bad news?" Nancy says, sadly.

"They rejected my offer!" Mary growls,"Well.. that's that.."

"I'm sorry to hear that!" Nancy says, sympathetically.

"Well, as long as you're here- take a look around! Everything you see is made by local artists, including yours truly!" Mary says with a smile.

"I understand you bought a trunk of junk from the Rawelys?" Nancy says, curiously.

"Yeah.. they didn't want it so I bought it off of their hands." Mary explains,"Only problem is, I can't seem to figure out how to open it!"

"Did the Rawley's offer to help?" Nancy asks.

"They were no help at all! They did offer to buy it back, though! I just told them to keep looking for a way to open it!" Mary explains.

"Well, it was nice talking to you! I'm gonna look around for a few!" Nancy says with a smile.

Mary nods her head at her and heads into the back room.

Nancy heads to the farthest wall of the shop and begins scanning the shelves.

Below a wooden shelf full of pottery, Nancy spots a strange book display.

A stack of books entitled "Like Wind Through My Heart" sits upon a small table.

Beside them sits a placard with a strange looking blonde haired woman.

"Charleena Purcell..."

Nancy picks up a book and decides to read the back cover.

"Ah.. it's a romance book!" she says.

Her face begins to blush red as she starts to think about Dave.

"On a second thought.. I'm not gonna get it!" Nancy says, embarrassed.

She sets the book down and begins scanning through some photographs.

In the corner to her right, she spots a small machine.

"Run For Cover.." she says, examining it,"I don't have much time left.. I'll have to come back and try it out!"

She walks away from it and examines some beautiful pieces of petrified wood.

"They're so beautiful! I would love to have my own piece!" she says, scanning them.

Nancy takes a few more moments to look at the jewelry in the counter case and the photos on the wall.

Seeing the sun begin to take on an orange and pink hue, she decides to head home.

"Have a great night! It was nice meeting you!" Nancy shouts as she heads out the front door.

She walks over to Bob and pets his back.

"Ready to go home, boy?!" she asks him as she unties him and jumps up onto his back.


	6. Chapter 6

Dear bookaholic2000 and all other readers,

I apologize greatly for not posting more chapters. I got a horrible stomach flu on top of being forced to work 11 hour days in a row last week so I unfortunately was not able to post up any new chapters.

I do have the chapters and will be posting them today and tomorrow!

Please accept my apology!

Hopefully this chapter, which will mainly be lovey dovey, will be a good apology!

And, as always, thank you for reviewing, reading, and following!

Enjoy!

-LIZ

* * *

Nancy and Bob raced through the desert.

Behind them, the setting sun sends out a beautiful orange hue, causing their shadows to elongate and race ahead of them.

Bob's hooves kick up dirt, making them appear like phantoms, themselves.

The temperature begins to drop as the sun sets.

Nancy shivers a little as she kicks at Bob's sides.

"We're almost there, ole Bob!" she says happily, as they make their way past some cacti and over a small hill.

* * *

Within minutes, they approach the back gate to the horse corral.

Nancy jumps down off of Bob and quickly opens the gate, leading Bob through it.

She shades her eyes from the bright rays as she closes the gate behind Bob.

"Let's get you all cleaned up and pretty!" Nancy says, leading him back to the stables,"Tex will kill me if you don't look happy!"

She opens the stable gate and is greeted by the neighs and whinnies of the other horses.

Bob snorts at them as he heads into the stables.

Nancy lightly pats him on the back as she closes the stable door.

Darkness instantly consumes her and she stands there for a few waiting for her eyes to adjust.

The stable office door opens to her left and she stands there, hoping not to bump into whoever it was that was leaving; her eyes still not adjusted.

"Hello, Nancy! Looks like you arrived just in time!" comes the all too lovely voice of Dave.

Nancy blushes a little as her vision begins to adjust to the dark.

"Uh, hi, Dave!" Nancy stutters, blinking her eyes a few times.

Dave smiles and tilts his hat at her,"Camp fire is all ready. Just waiting on Shorty and Tex."

"Any idea what we'll be having for dinner?" she asks him, her vision having finally adjusted.

"No idea, yet." Dave shrugs,"I'll tie up ole Bob if you wanna take your saddle in."

Nancy smiles at him,"Alright! Thank you!"

Dave smirks at her and takes the reign from Nancy, leading Bob over to his post.

Nancy struggles with the saddle, carrying it through the stables and into the office.

"Where's Tex?" she shouts as she makes her way to the saddle's resting place.

"No idea, actually. He tends to disappear around this time of day." Dave shouts from the stables.

"Really?!" Nancy shouts back, curious.

She slams the saddle down upon its resting post and gasps when a bag on the nearby saddle falls open.

Its contents spill upon the floor and Nancy bends down to pick them up and cautiously look through the contents.

She bends down and places some pliers and a Koko Kringles bar back into the bag.

A small blue envelope is all that remains upon the floor and she picks it up.

At the top left corner, she notices Jane Nash's name and is shocked to find, as she opens it, a birthday card for her brother, Tex.

"Oh my gosh!" Nancy says, quickly shoving it in the bag right as Dave appears in the doorway.

_"Jane Nash is Tex's sister!"_

"Ready to go, Nancy?" he says with a smile,"I thought we could walk together to the camp fire."

Nancy's heart beats in her chest as she nervously turns to face him.

Dave nods at her and holds out his hand.

She nervously grabs it and stands up, her face even more red,"A-at least, if the phantom horse shows up, it won't be as scarier!"

Dave laughs a hearty laugh, his eyes lighting up and a bright smile widening upon his face.

Nancy nervously laughs with him as she realizes they're still holding hands.

Unfazed by the fact that they're holding hands, Dave begins to proceed through the door.

Nancy blushes a little as she is pulled through the entrance and into the stables by him.

The two of them quietly exit the stables; hands still interlocked.

* * *

Her hands become somewhat sweaty with every step they take.

"So, how did your first horse ride go?" Dave asks over his shoulder.

"It was quite fun!" Nancy says happily, a big smile spreading across her face.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself out there" Dave says sweetly.

"I did.. but, I don't recall you being around when I was actually riding Bob." Nancy says, nervously.

"I was watching you from the chicken coop while you tested." Dave says with a smile,"You have a real knack for remembering things!"

"Well, like I said- I do like to do some case solving of my own!" Nancy says with a big smile, her nervousness almost behind her.

"What made you decide to get into sleuthing?" Dave says, smiling at her.

Nancy blushes a little and her nervousness comes racing back to her.

"Well, I've always been one for justice and lawfulness." Nancy says with a shrug.

"There's never much of interest in this here desert." Dave says out loud,"Kind of ironic that something interesting happens when you get here!"

* * *

They arrive to find the campfire roaring with life.

But, no other lives can be found around the fire.

"Looks like we made it here, first!" Dave says with a smile, withdrawing his hand and sitting upon a small chair,"At least we get some time to talk now!"

Nancy blushes and nervously takes a seat on a log beside his.

"You know, Nancy..." Dave says kind of shyly,"I'm kind of glad the other two didn't arrive.."

Nancy nervously swallows a knot in her throat as she tries to look at him over the fire.

"Wh-why is that?" she asks him nervously.

"Well, I got to get to know you a little, today." he says, slightly pulling his hat over his face,"Those girls would probably have kept you from talking to me..."

"Oh, well.. I'm glad to have met you, too.." Nancy says, quietly.

Both of them blush and quickly avert their eyes to the ground.

* * *

"Who's ready for some ragout?!" comes the annoying voice of Shorty.

Dave coughs a little and sits up, trying not to look at Nancy.

Taking a seat upon a log beside Dave, Shorty sets a giant stew pot beside the fire and hands Dave a soup cup.

"Can we get this over with?" comes the growling voice of Tex as he takes a seat upon a bench beside Nancy.

"Why aren't any of you looking forward to this?" Shorty says, pretending to be upset.

"Thank you, Shorty!" Nancy says with a smile.

"You are welcome, Nancy!" Shorty says, handing her a soup cup.

With a glare, Shorty hands Tex his soup cup.

"Well, dig in!" Shorty says, dipping his cup into the pot.

"Let me fill your cup for you, Nancy." Dave says, holding out his hand.

Nancy nervously hands it to him and their fingers lightly touch, causing them to both blush.

Dave fills it with soup and hands it back to her.

Nancy takes a whiff of the soup and makes a funny face, causing Dave to laugh a little.

Shorty sets his cup upon the ground and grabs for his acoustic guitar leaning against Tex's bench.

"Who is up for some camp fire songs?" he says, tuning the guitar a little and then plucking a string.

Tex rolls his eyes and sighs.

He takes a sip of the soup and spits it out.

Taking the hint, Dave refrains from filling his cup.

"She'll... be coming round the mountain when she comes!" Shorty belts out loud.

Dave squints his eyes shut and Tex angrily places his hands over his ear.

_"Shorty really can't sing!" Nancy thinks to herself._

Nancy pretends to enjoy the song, staring nervously at Dave out of the corner of her eye.

The fire casting dancing shadows upon Dave's face, hidden beneath his hat brim.

* * *

After a few more lyrics, Tex angrily stands up and tosses his soup into the fire.

"Hey! What're you doing?! You can't leave!" Shorty shouts, setting his guitar down.

"I can't take it anymore!" Tex growls, setting his cup upon the bench and walking off towards the stables.

"The Rawley's said we were supposed to have a cookout and entertain our guest!" Shorty says, looking after Tex.

"I don't call that entertainment! It's worse than whatever that stuff you cooked was!" Tex yells over his shoulder.

"That was lamb ragout, for your information!" Shorty shouts after him,"Your taste buds must be as sophisticated as a sand flea's!"

Dave nervously stands up,"I think I'll turn in for the night, too!"

Shorty's jaw drops open in anger and disappointment.

Dave tilts his hat at Nancy and smiles nervously,"Gnight, Ma'am."

With a wink at Nancy, he begins walking away,"Next time, just stick with burgers!"

"Et tu, brute?!" Shorty yells after him.

Shorty sighs and sets his guitar upon the ground.

"Do you see that?! You see what I put up with day in and day out?!" he says, pointing at Dave.

Nancy frowns a little and nods her head in response.

"Day in and day out, I cast my culinary pearls before ungrateful; uncultured swine!" he growls, standing up and ignoring Nancy.

He begins walking away, muttering under his breath,"I'll write a best selling cook book! Then I'll get my own tv show.. do a movie..."

Nancy giggles a little and watches the flames dancing in the fire.

"..they'll be out here punching cattle and I'll be a gazillionaire!" Shorty yells, before wandering too far to be heard anymore.

Nancy sighs a little and stares at the fire, the light cast eerie shadows around her.

* * *

All of a sudden, loud hoof claps begin ringing through the air.

Nancy looks around quickly and spots a glowing horse galloping outside of the fence.

"Oh my gosh! Dave?! Shorty?! Tex?!" Nancy shouts, sitting up straight to get a better look.

The horse gallops past the water house.

A loud hiss echoes through the air as water comes exploding out of the top of the water house.

Footsteps from all around her come running in the direction of the water house.

* * *

"What's going on?!" Shorty yells as he takes a step behind Nancy.

"The horse came.. then the water house exploded.. .."Nancy stutters, too excited over what just happened.

"Nancy, are you okay?!" Dave says, coming up behind her.

"I-I'm fine." Nancy says, smiling up at him,"The ghost horse just showed up and then-"

And she points towards the water house as Tex shows up, glaring.

"Well, looks like it's time to call the Sheriff." He growls, heading back towards the house.

"Come on, Nancy, not much we can do, now." Dave says, holding out his hand and helping her stand up.

They walk side by side back to the house to wait for the Sheriff to come.


	7. Chapter 7

Nancy's eyes flutter open as the sunlight pierces through the curtain and in her eyes.

"Morning already?" she says, sitting up in bed.

Her head began aching as she remembered having only gotten four hours of sleep.

* * *

_Nancy and Dave had walked back to the house together._

_Dave's hand kept brushing against hers but they never dared hold hands again._

_Feelings of guilt had risen up in Nancy as she began to think about Ned._

* * *

_While he wasn't her boyfriend. he did have feelings for her and was a nice guy._

_She didn't want to hurt him, but she also didn't know if she wanted to be with him, again._

_Her and Ned had been off and on for years._

_Ned would become rude and distant toward her whenever she bought up her sleuthing habits. _

_He had told her he wished she would just be normal but, try as she might, Nancy was never able to give up her sleuthing._

_It was because of this that she was always hesitant to get back with him._

_Yet, every time he pleaded with her and gave her the whiny look, she broke down._

_Nancy had slowly become annoyed with the way he treated her over a simple hobby._

_That was why she was having a hard time dealing with her feelings for Ned._

_Here was Dave, a sweet and handsome cowboy who swept her off her feet with his charm. _

_And, there was Ned, back home in River Heights probably brooding over her finding another possible mystery._

* * *

_Nancy had decided she would stop returning Dave's affection just in case she was wrong about what she was feeling._

_If Dave had feelings for her, he would continue trying to woo her._

_But, despite that, she wouldn't be able to control her blushing or shy smiles._

_Nancy and Dave arrived at the house and he held the door open for her as they headed in._

_They had sat together upon the love seat in the living room and watched as Shorty bickered to himself on the small recliner._

_Tex kept pacing the living room, growling under his breath._

_The four of them had waited two hours for the Sheriff to arrive. _

_When he got there, he quickly looked around the water tower and the surrounding lands, finding nothing much out of the ordinary._

_"Doesn't look like much happened. Your pipe was rusty and it exploded. You'll need to have that looked at." The officer had shrugged._

_Tex grumbled under his breath and Shorty thanked the sheriff repeatedly._

_When all had quieted down, everyone went their separate ways._

_Nancy had yawned, saying she needed to excuse herself and go to bed._

_Dave had refused to allow her to walk back to her room alone and wouldn't take no for an answer._

_Nancy blushed as he walked beside her, mumbling about how waiting for the sheriff was pointless._

_They had made their way down the hallway and stopped outside of Nancy's bedroom door._

_"Well, thanks for walking me back, Dave!" Nancy said with a smile and a slight blush._

_Dave had tipped his hat at her and smiled; slightly leaning in closer to her._

_"It was nothin', Ma'am." he said, smirking and leaned in to kiss Nancy._

_Panicking, Nancy ducked away from him, wishing him a good night._

_Dave's mouth drooped into a frown and a feeling of guilt overcame her as she shut the door._

_Her heart beat nervously in her chest as she walked to her bed._

_The thought of him trying to kiss her had kept her up for most of the night._

* * *

Nancy begins smiling as she remembers the events of last night.

"I can't believe it!" she says, quietly,"I feel so bad about refusing him like that. I hope he's not upset with me!"

She quickly got dressed into a pair of denim shorts and a white tank top and clipped on her sleuth pack before heading for the door.

Her phone begins ringing in her pocket and she pulls it out to find Aunt Bet calling her.

"Hello?" Nancy says, answering the phone.

"Nancy! Oh thank goodness you answered! Dave told us what happened!" Aunt Bet says quickly, panic in her voice.

"Yeah.. it was strange.." Nancy says, not feeling like thinking or talking about last night.

"And, to think it happened right after the Phantom Horse showed up again!" Aunt Bet continues.

"Yep. The pump house blew right after the horse galloped away." Nancy explains, leaning against the door.

"Oh my! Maybe Shorty is right- maybe that horse is a bad omen!" Bet says, sadly.

"I'm not so sure about that, Aunt Bet." Nancy says, with a smirk.

"What do you mean, Nancy?" Bet says, confused.

"I'm more inclined to think that someone is using the horse as a distraction." Nancy explains.

"Wait- what?" Aunt Bet asks, even more confused.

"It's possible someone used to horse to divert attention while they sabotaged the pump house." Nancy says with a satisfied smirk.

"Why on Earth would someone do that?!" Aunt Bet asks.

"Someone may be trying to chase you off the Ranch." Nancy explains.

"But, why?!" Bet says, confused.

"That I don't know... yet." Nancy says, frowning.

"Oh, my! Maybe you should come home Nancy.. it doesn't seem safe there!" Aunt Bet says motherly-like.

"I'll be fine, really! I want to help.. and I can help!" Nancy says calmly.

"Well, we certainly could use your help!" Aunt Bet says, worriedly.

"No worries, Aunt Bet. I will ensure I find out what is going on!" Nancy says,"Can you think of anyone with a grudge against you?"

"No. Not that I can think of." Aunt Bet says,"I'll tell you what- we'll put our thinking caps on and if we think of anything, we'll call you."

"Sounds good!" Nancy says,"I'll listen to my phone. And I promise I'll be careful!"

"Good!" Aunt Bet sighs.

"And, can I please have you not mention my suspicions to anyone until I figure out what is going on?" Nancy asks.

"Of course, dear. Not a problem." Aunt Bet says.

"Alright, well, it was nice talking to you!" Nancy says,"If you can think of anything, just call!"

"Will do, dear. Take care!" Aunt Bet says.

And the call drops.

* * *

Nancy puts her phone into her pocket and nervously opens the door.

The door slowly creaks open and she sighs when Dave is nowhere to be found.

She shuts the door behind her and heads down the hall.

"Is that you, Nancy?!" Comes the all too annoying voice of Shorty from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me!" Nancy calls out, walking across the living room.

"Would you mind doing the same chores you did yesterday?!" Shorty calls out,"Well, all but the fire.. you know.."

Nancy snickers a little,"Of course!"

"Thanks, Nancy!" Shorty shouts back before the sound of cracking eggs fills the air.

Nancy walks past the bookshelf and stops as a familiar image flashes in the corner of her eye.

She spots the same book from Mary's shop and grabs it off the shelf.

Flipping to the back, she reads the small bio on the author "Charleena Purcell".

"Ahh.. she's into eighteenth century Arizona. Pretty interesting.." Nancy says out loud,"May be a good read."

She places the book back on the shelf and heads into the kitchen to grab the egg basket off of the table.

"I'll be back before you know it!" she says, leaving the kitchen.

* * *

She finishes picking eggs and ripe fruit within a matter of minutes and brings them to Shorty.

He thanks her and in turn gives her a canteen of water.

Nancy slings the canteen around her shoulder and heads out the back door.

"Time to check out the pump house!" she says,"Oh, how I love sleuthing!"

She makes her way to the pump house where she finds a "Crime Scene: No Trespassing" sign.

Nancy rolls her eyes and laughs a little,"Like that's ever stopped me!"

She quickly opens the door and slips in, shutting it behind her.

* * *

Standing on the only step, Nancy looks around to see lots of water damage and storage supplies strewn around the floor.

"Nothing out of the ordinary.." she says, stepping down.

She tiptoes around the fallen stuff and approaches the pipe.

Bending down on one knee, she examines it to find it badly corroded away.

A small arrowhead can be found beside the pipe and she carefully picks it up, putting it in her pack.

Continuing her sleuthing, she searches the shelves around the room and finds nothing out of the ordinary.

About to give up, she steps onto the stair and stops as a loud scraping noise echoes from somewhere in the room.

Listening carefully, she looks around and finds a small ventilation gate behind one of the shelves.

"This is so exciting!" she says as she crawls onto her hands and knees and pushes open the gate.

* * *

The squeeze was tight but, being somewhat delicate in frame, Nancy was able to make her way through it.

Standing up, Nancy finds herself in a small stone hallway.

Behind and in front of her are small wooden stairs.

"Wow! Who would have thought there would be a secret passage here?!" She says, looking around.

The same scraping noise echoes from a small door at the top of the stairs farthest from her.

Tiptoeing quietly, she makes her way towards the stairs and listens to her surroundings.

Nancy hears the sounds of boxes or crates being moved as she carefully approaches the door and pushes it open slowly.

* * *

She quietly enters the room and spots a dark figure moving around underneath of a set of wooden stairs.

The figure backs into the light and Nancy gasps as she spots Dave.

"Dave?!" She says, shocked.

Dave panics and smacks his head against the top of the stairs.

"Ow!" he says, retreating from underneath of the stairs.

He removes his hat and rubs his head, his face bright red.

"Wh-where did you come from, Nancy?!" he says, panicked.

"I..I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you!" Nancy says quickly, her cheeks blushing,"What are you doing here?"

"Well, see- I just.. I mean.." Dave stutters, then sighs.

"It's okay, Dave. Take a deep breath and tell me when you're ready." Nancy says, calmly.

Dave smiles at her,"I'm gonna sit on the stairs. Please join me, Nancy."

Nancy flashes a smile at him as they make their way to the stairs that ascend to an unknown door along the right wall.

Dave takes a deep breath and quickly takes a seat upon the second to last stair from the bottom.

Nervously, Nancy sits beside him, trying her best not to touch him for fear of showing her feelings for him.

Sighing, Dave rubs his eyes and rests his cowboy hat upon his knees.

"I'm looking for Dirk Valentine's treasure, Nancy.." he says, quietly.

Nancy looks at him confused,"Treasure?!"

Dave looks at her surprised,"You really haven't heard of it?!"

Nancy shakes her head 'no' and he smiles at her.

"And you call yourself a detective!" he says with a smirk.

Nancy blushes a little,"_Amateur _detective, thank you very much!"

Dave smirks at her and continues,"You saw that portrait in the living room, yeah?"

"The one of Frances Humber, right?" Nancy says, curious.

"Well, my great aunt Ellie was France's cousin. When she died, she had left me a whole bunch of stuff including a letter from Frances." Dave explains.

"Oh, wow!" Nancy says, scooting closer to him without realizing it.

"In the letter, Frances said that Dirk Valentine had hidden a bunch of loot somewhere and wanted her to find it by following his clues." Dave continues.

"That's so cool!" Nancy says, her face lighting up.

Dave smiles at her, his eyes brightening up,"See- Frances was real smart. Loved puzzles.. Was real good at playing piano, too."

"So, he left her a puzzle to figure out in order to find his treasure?!" Nancy says, excited,"How romantic!"

"It was a romantic gesture, yes.." Dave says, eyeing Nancy,"But, when Dirk met his end, Frances was too heart broken to care about some treasure."

"So, she left it for Ellie you find?" Nancy says, curious.

"That's right, ma'am." Dave says, sliding closer to her,"She told Ellie that if she could find it, she could keep it."

"And, I take it she didn't find it?" Nancy says, with a smirk,"That's why you're down here, huh?"

"Actually, I'm here because I found this piece of a picture." Dave explains, taking a torn picture out of his vest pocket and handing it to Nancy.

Nancy examines the picture and sees a black and white image of an older gentleman with white hair.

"That's France's father, Sheriff Meryl Humber." Dave explains,"Now, turn it over.."

Nancy turns the picture over and reads "Stairs to Cellar."

"That's France's writing. Looks like the other half got torn off." Dave says with a frown.

Nancy laughs a little,"You were hoping the treasure was under these stairs, huh?"

Dave blushes a little and avoids looking at her; his eyes staring down at his feet.

"I didn't know this place had a cellar!" Nancy says,"Does anyone else know about this place?"

"As far as I know, no one does." Dave shrugs,"The entrance is secret. These stairs lead to an entrance behind the book case in the living room."

"That's so cool!" Nancy says,"Maybe that's how the snake got into the house.. someone snuck in through here and put it in and got out quickly?"

"It's possible.." Dave says, sighing.

"Do the Rawley's know anything about this?" Nancy asks him.

"I.. don't think so." Dave says, nervously,"See- I tried not to tell them. My brother is dead broke and in bad health.."

At these words, he begins to frown a little and hangs his head into his hands, sighing.

Nancy gently places a hand upon his shoulder.

"I completely understand, Dave.." she says, sympathetically.

A small gasp escapes her mouth as Dave's head shoots up and he presses his lips firmly against hers.

Her heart beats in her chest and she quickly returns the favor, closing her eyes and blushing as she gently kisses him.

Dave's hands make their way around her torso and he carefully pulls her towards him.

Nancy blushes deeper as her body presses against his.

Moments later, he pulls away from her; his face bright red.

"I.. I'm sorry 'bout that, Nancy." he says, nervously.

Nancy blushes brightly,"D-don't be sorry, Dave.. I.. rather liked it!"

Dave smiles brightly,"I'm glad to hear you say that!"

* * *

They sit there in silence for a few minutes, both of their hearts beating in their chests.

Dave soon breaks the silence,"Don't worry, Nancy.. I'll tell the Rawley's."

Nancy smiles at him,"Alright, Dave! What about this treasure? You haven't told anyone else, right?"

"Of course not, Nancy!" he says, still blushing,"Are you planning on finding it, Nancy?"

Nancy laughs a little,"Well, you know me- little miss snoop!"

Dave laughs and grabs a hold of her hand,"Would you mind, Nancy, if I help you out with this treasure hunt?"

Nancy smiles brightly,"Like I'd say no to my handsome cowboy?!"

At that, Dave lightly brings her hand to his lips and kisses it,"I promise I won't let you down, Nancy! Now, let's get out of here!"

Dave stands up and helps Nancy up; both of them blushing bright red.

"Dave, you go first." Nancy says,"It would look suspicious if both of us came out at the same time. I'll exit from the pump house.."

Nodding at her, Dave opens the bookshelf door and exits, leaving Nancy alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Nancy stands there for a few minutes, blushing.

_He kissed me!_

_ I can't believe it..._

Nancy's heart beats nervously in her chest as she stares at the book shelf exit for a few minutes.

_Does that mean we're dating?_

A smile creeps on her face as she thinks of them dating.

Then, it hits her as she realizes she's in a secret room which could possibly lead her to clues about the treasure.

Her smile widens as she examines the room around her.

Besides the obvious stairs, there lie some metal shelves against a wall and several barrels.

She quickly takes the steps and heads over to the farthest shelf.

An evil smirk replaces her smile as she notices a freshly used bottle of acid upon the shelf, half hidden behind a small box.

"I wonder what someone would have used that for.." Nancy says, sarcastically.

She takes a mental note of the acid, now knowing that her guess of sabotage was correct, and continues examining the contents of the shelf.

Oohing a little, she picks up an old fashioned purse with a bird and flowers pattern.

A frown makes its way on her face as she notices some missing beads.

"Chicago Mercantile Company. HB3941." she reads, then gasps as she notices the date,"1881? This could have belonged to Frances!"

She excitedly places the purse into her pouch and continues examining the shelves,"I'll get a closer look of that later."

After almost half an hour of looking, she finds nothing of interest.

"Well, that's it, then." she says, dusting off her hands,"I should head out of here."

She excitedly ascends the stairs and pushes open the door to the cellar.

"Welp, I'm back in the den." she says to herself.

She walks out and slides the door shut, not noticing the handsome cowboy sitting upon the couch with his feet on the coffee table.

"And, that you are." he says, causing her to whip around quickly.

"Dave! You almost caused me to have a heart attack!" she says, gently patting her chest.

A small blush creeps upon her cheeks as she notices his dazzling smile.

"Sorry.." he says, tilting his hat at her.

Nancy smiles a little,"I'm used to getting spooked every now and then."

"How about I make it up to you tonight?" Dave says with a smirk.

"Wh-what do you you mean?" Nancy says, nervously.

"I was thinking I could make us some dinner tonight and we could relax together by the fire here, tonight?" Dave says, blushing.

"That's.. wow.. Dave.. I.." Nancy stutters, avoiding his eyes.

Dave frowns a little,"I.. if you don't want to, just say. I'd completely understand, Nancy.."

"N-no- It's not that, Dave!" Nancy says, quickly,"It's just- we're not exactly.. you know.."

Dave sighs a little, rubbing his eyes,"I-I'm sorry, Nancy.. I never meant to impose. I shouldn't have kiss you.. I mean, you have a steady and all.. what was I thinking?"

Nancy blushes brightly,"Dave- it's nothing like that! I don't exactly have a steady.."

A big smile makes its way across Dave's face,"I would have figured some guy would have snatched you up. I mean, you're a brilliant girl, Nancy!"

"Does this mean you're asking me out, Dave?" Nancy says, her face bright red.

"It only means what you want it to mean, Nancy.." Dave says, hiding his eyes underneath of his cowboy hat.

Nancy nervously takes a few steps towards him and kneels before him,"I would love to, Dave!"

Blushing brightly, Dave quickly stands up,"Then it's settled, ma'am, I shall see you here tonight."

At that, he quickly rushes towards the kitchen and out the back door; Nancy watching after him, confused.

* * *

A few moments later, Nancy stands up and sighs,"He gets nervous too easily. I should go talk to him some more."

She quickly rushes out of the living room and into the kitchen.

As she heads to the back door, a tingle makes its way down her spine as she notices a strange occurrence.

Shorty isn't in the kitchen.

_Now would be a good time to snoop!_

Nancy cautiously looks around and then runs over into the kitchen, looking around for the not so usual things in a kitchen.

She giggles a little, searching the oven and then the rest of the food shelves, but finds nothing, unsurprisingly.

Then, she spots the small; gray desk-like shelf beside the stove and tiptoes over to it.

Pulling on the lid carefully, she lifts it up and begins digging around the shelf.

A look of confusion crosses her face as she finds strange maps of "Know Mineral Occurrences" in the area.

_Why would he need these? _

Footsteps and a known voice behind her cause her to jump and scramble to put things away,"Can I help you find something?"

Slamming the desk top down, she quickly steps away,"No, actually. I pretty much found everything on my own. I.. think I'll be going.."

She takes a few steps back, towards the back door, nervously walking around him as he heads back to the stove.

"For your information, I got those maps cause I was hoping there might be a long lost gold mine or two around here." he says, with a look of anger on his face.

"Have you been successful?" Nancy asks, taking another step.

"Like most of my get rich quick ideas, it didn't pan out.." Shorty says, sighing,"Apparently there's no gold left in them darn hills. No silver. No Copper. No nothing.."

"I-I'm really sorry to hear that." Nancy says with a frown, taking the last few steps to the back door.

"Now, I don't ever want to catch you in my stuff again!" Shorty yells,"You got that, Nancy?!"

"Loud and clear!" Nancy says, escaping out the back door.

* * *

She shuts it behind her and sighs, leaning back against it.

_Regardless of the excuse, it's quite strange that he would have those. _

_I thought those maps usually weren't given to the public?_

_I'll have to look into that, more._

"For now, I think it's time to talk with Dave." Nancy says, shading her eyes from the sun.

She heads out into the back yard and begins scanning the area, but doesn't spot him anywhere.

"Hey, Dave, you out here?" she calls, looking around,"Maybe he's in the coop.."

She heads to the coop, giggling in hopes that she can catch him off guard, and whips open the door.

A slight frown makes its way on her lips as he is nowhere inside of the coop.

Shutting the door, she heads over to the pump house.

A quick examination of the house shows he's nowhere inside.

"Maybe the passage?" she says, climbing through the grate and into the stone hall.

She stumbles through the hall, listening for signs of Dave.

Unaware of her feet, she accidentally trips on the first stair to the cellar.

A light instantly goes off in her head.

"What if the picture meant these stairs?!" she says, excitedly picking around the stairs.

A big smile spreads across her face as she comes across a loose board in the top stair.

"Ooh!" she says, looking down at a small; colorful stone sliding puzzle.

After a few minutes of toying around, she finds a small hole underneath of a small; red tile.

Wiggling her pointer finger and thumb into the hole, she grasps a small; green bottle and pulls it out.

Inside, Nancy pulls out some old letters from Dirk to Frances and gasps,"Omigosh!"

She carefully examines them, smiling as she feels the love Dirk had for Frances.

Dirk talks about loving the shawl she made and mentions the stitch.

He goes on to talk about the purse he got her because of the design the beads made.

Then he mentions something about crackers they loved eating at Pappy's and how she bought out a beautiful flower cake to their last meeting.

"How romantic!" she says, sighing and placing them into her pouch,"It's so amazing to get to read these.. it's like I'm travelling back to the past!"

She stands up to dust herself off and heads back into the pump house.

_"I'll only use the den entrance if it's an emergency."_

As she exits the secret passage and crawls through the grate, she hears the calls of Dave.

"Hey, Nancy?" Dave calls out, his voice getting closer to the pump house.

"I'm in here!" Nancy calls out, quickly hiding the grate behind a crate.

Dave opens the door and smirks,"Sleuthing, I take it?"

"You'll never believe what I found, Dave!" Nancy says with a big smile.

"I'd love to hear about it- but, only after we start heading out to Mary's for some cattle feed." he says with a smile.

"That sounds great." Nancy says, as she heads out the door and closes it behind them.

* * *

They walk to the stables, hand in hand, giggling as they go.

The sun rises over them, sending out heat waves as they walk.

Dave reaches the stables first and opens the gate for Nancy.

She blushes a little and heads through; Dave coming in behind her.

They go into the office to get their saddles and are shocked to discover that Tex is gone.

"That's weird.." Nancy says, grabbing a hold of her saddle.

"You'd think he practically lives here!" Dave says, laughing and grabbing his saddles.

"You know, Dave- Shorty was gone for a while, too." Nancy says, slowly heading out to the horses.

"Oh really?" Dave says, carrying his saddle behind her.

"Yeah.. I sorta.. snooped.." Nancy says with a smirk,"Did you know he's searching for gold mines?"

Dave eyes her suspiciously,"Well, ain't that just convenient?"

"Or, so he says.." Nancy says, struggling to throw her saddle onto Bob,"These type of maps usually aren't available to the public, though."

"Now, that is odd." Dave grunts, throwing his saddle onto Ace,"We'll have to look into that more, Nancy."

Nancy blushes a little as she tightens up her saddle,"I think I'm going to like having a snooping cowboy for a boyfriend!"

Dave blushes as he leads Ace towards the Corral,"And, I think I'm going to love having a detective for a girlfriend."

They lead both of their horses through the corral and out into the desert.

"Ready, Nancy?" he says with a smile.

"You bet!" Nancy says, jumping onto Bob.

The two of them go galloping down the trail towards Mary's.

* * *

Nancy had filled him in on everything she had discovered so far as they rode to Mary's.

They tied their horses up and headed inside, being greeted by an unusually happy Mary.

While Dave talked to Mary about cattle feed, Nancy took her time looking around.

Being the snoop that she is, she couldn't help but notice more pieces of petrified wood on the display table.

And, not too far down from that, she finds a strange metal chest laying upon an end table.

She notices a depiction of a heart with two doves and the letters "EH and AH" inside of the heart.

_This trunk looks really old!_

"Hey- what's the story with this trunk?" she asks out loud, interrupting Dave and Mary.

"That's the trunk I bought from the Rawley's." Mary explains,"But, for the life of me, I can't figure out how to open it."

"Would you mind if I tried to get it open?" Nancy asks her, excited.

"Not at all! In fact, if you can, I'll let you keep something- your choice." Mary says with a smile.

Nancy examines the trunk and notices the strange square slots, remembering she had seen something just like them.

A bulb clicks on in her head as she remembers the square keys from the desk at the Rawley's ranch.

"That's it!" Nancy says with a smile,"I'll have to come back tomorrow, Mary- but, I think I have an idea how to open this trunk."

"That's great!" Mary says, as she hands Dave two bags of feed.

Nancy helps him carry them out to their horses, strapping the bags onto their backs.

The sun begins to set in the sky as they take off down the path.

Nancy can't help but notice Mary closing up shop quickly behind them.

* * *

They slowly stride through the desert side by side, talking about their hobbies and likes.

As they make their way towards the ranch, they spot an interesting sight.

Tex and Mary, standing hand in hand surrounded by horses and right outside the ranch fence.

"Was that..?" Dave says, looking at Nancy with wide eyes.

"..Tex and Mary? yeah.." Nancy says, quickly jumping down from Bob and opening the corral gate.

Dave heads in quickly, followed by Nancy.

They giggle at the prospect of love for Tex as they tie up their horses and drag their saddles back into the office.

* * *

"How 'bout that dinner?" Dave says with a smile as they head out of the saddle, shielding their eyes from the powerful rays of the setting sun.

"I would love that, Dave!" Nancy says with a slight blush to her cheeks.

They giggle, hand in hand, as they make their way to the house.


End file.
